The Eldest Son
by BloodEagle
Summary: Cain, being driven from a land of thorns and thistles by an angry and vengeful God, embarks upon a journey of self discovery.


Disclaimer: No need for a disclaimer here as the Bible is not copyrighted and this is merely a work of fiction.

Tears flowed down Cain's angular cheekbones before falling to the earth. The greedy earth drank of his tears as it did the blood of his brother only a short while ago. Sobbing, Cain stumbled eastward day after day in the direction of the rising son as if he could find comfort him in it's light to match the glory of the light he was denied. Hunger stung his belly and thirst expanded his now dry tongue. A far off animal cry sounded off in the distance. Cain crept on his belly in a dry wash, slowly snaking his way to the source of the sound. As he rounded a bend another sound rang in his ears. It was the roar of a lion. Panicking, Cain sprung to his feet and sprinted in the opposite direction. His breath grew ragged and it was apparent he would not be able to run much longer. Another roar, this time louder, followed behind him. Turning around, Cain felt bile rise to his throat and fear engulfed him. The lion saw him and quickly gained on the hapless farmer. Falling to the earth, Cain shielded his face with his hands and steeled himself for the inevitable. _At least now it will all be over_, he thought. The beast's hot breath stank of the grave. Opening his eyes for a brief second Cain thought he saw fear in the lion's gaze. Rising to his feet, Cain marveled as the beast sauntered away in the opposite direction. Touching his hand to his forehead to feel the scar left by God's wrath, he remembered God's words. "Therefore whoever slays Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold!" The memory was still painful, but not so painful as the gap in his memory of God's face. He remembered being unable to look upon His countenance any longer and being forced away from all he ever knew. Try as he might, however, he could not remember what God looked like. Only His words sounded in his mind with a voice of thunder, "A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on this earth!"

Suddenly, he wished the lion had eaten him and spared him of his misery. Once more heading in the opposite direction of the setting sun, Cain grew weary. Clothed only in a loincloth, the farmer lay down on the rocks to warm himself. The desert night grew cold, but fortunately the rocks still retained some of the sun's warmth. Halfway between sleep and wakefulness, something touched the bare skin of his foot. It was cold and heavy and it rested itself on Cain's leg. Icy black eyes stared up at his face. The thing slithered around to Cain's side and flicked a forked tongue at him in disdain. Sitting up, now fully awake, Cain noticed with a start it was a serpent…perhaps the largest serpent he ever saw. Fear tugged at his heart for a brief second before he remembered the earlier episode with the lion.

"Serpent!", yelled Cain, "You cannot harm me for I am marked by God. If you kill me you shall receive his vengeance."

"Hss Hss Hss" the serpent laughed. "I do not mete out death, child. That is God's job." A touch of bitterness tainted the snake's voice.

"You speak?" asked Cain, disbelief showing in his voice.

The serpent laughed again. "Aye, I speak. And I speak truth. You see, this is the form forced upon me by God. Forced to crawl upon my belly…to eat the dust of the earth and have my head kicked in by the sons of man. This is my punishment for calling God out on his lies."

"What do you mean by his lies? He is God. He doesn't need to lie…he created the earth, the heavens, the beasts, my father, and my mother. Why would he have to justify anything to anybody?"

The serpent's icy eyes peered into the youth's soul. A hint of recognition showed itself on the serpentine features. "My son!"

Cain, confused, jumped to his feet. His face contorted with rage. "Your son? How could I be your son? You slither on the earth and are cursed by God…" The words died on his lips as he remembered that he too was cursed by God. "You are mistaken, serpent. I am the first born son of Adam, now the only son. Till just a few days ago I was a tiller of the soil and I enjoyed the fruits of my labor as my father did before me. My family worships God and lives in the land which He provided."

The serpent hissed. "You poor, unfortunate soul. What do you really know of your family?"

"I know that my father is a God fearing man who now hates me."

"The man you know as your father has always hated you. You are the reason he was expelled from the Land Between the Rivers. In his mind, at least, you are the reason for all his troubles. He was blissful in his ignorance, living like a beast of the field. God wanted him to stay ignorant. Slaves cannot be allowed to think. Paradise, he called the Land Between the Rivers. It was paradise for us, the Exalted, we had ignorant beasts like Adam and your mother to feed our egos and build shining monuments in our name. I was perfectly content to live in that land and reap it's blessings until the day I first witnessed your mother."


End file.
